


Free Realms

by authordjl



Category: Free Realms
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-07-14 20:32:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 7,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7189076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/authordjl/pseuds/authordjl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alyssa cannot remember anything after the bomb. All she knows is that she and her friends have washed up on foreign shores.  Eager for an explanation and a way out, they make their way off of the beach and discover the Sacred Grove, which consists of eight realms and three wilds. The friends travel from realm to realm, gathering information on how to get home. However, things take a dark turn, and Alyssa is soon left to make the difficult choice between life and death.<br/>So yeah... This is based off of Free Realms the computer game. I would always  write stories based on it when I was younger and now I decided I wanted to make a longer, more mature version, and this was the result. All main characters were created inside my head. All minor characters and locations are property of Sony/Free Realms.  No Copyright intended. New chapters posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Water gently lapped at Alyssa's legs as she slowly woke up, blinking sand out of her eyes. She pushed herself up and looked around for her friends - that is, if they'd even survived the radiation. The smell of lavender hit her nose instantly as she sat up. She looked around to her right; nothing but long shoes extending past her field of vision. The sky was overcast and projected a purple-y tint on both the sand and the water. Alyssa looked to her left; nothing - wait! That looked like a hand.  
She hastily got to her feet and ran over to Hannah, who was slowly waking up. "Hannah!"  
"Alyssa," Hannah croaked.  
"You okay?" she helped her friend sit up.  
"Yeah." Hannah rubbed her head. "Where is everyone?"  
"I'm not sure - Nathan!" something had stirred in the distance, and Alyssa instantly recognized it as her friend.  
"Alyssa." He helped himself up and hobbled over to Alyssa and Hannah. He knelt next to Alyssa and put his arm on her shoulder for balance. "Where are we?"  
Alyssa shook her head. "I have no clue."  
"Yo, Nate!" a male voice called in the distance.  
Nathan looked up, and Alyssa followed. "Nick! Thank god!" He looked at Hannah. "C'mon, let's get you up." He looped one arm under Hannah's left arm, and Alyssa took the other. They pulled Hannah to her feet and made their way over to where Nick had called from. They found Jocelyn and Sawyer sitting on the sand with him.  
"Any idea where we are?" Nathan asked.  
"I was gonna ask you," Nick replied.  
"Guys, where are Sophie and Kyle?" Alyssa asked.  
Sawyer stood up, eyes locked on something on the beach. "There!" he pointed.  
"Oh my god." Alyssa released Hannah's arm and bolted over to Sophie, who lay face-down and motionless in the sand. She rolled her over and stared at her non-breathing body. "No." She shook her shoulders. "No, Sophie!"  
"Here," Sawyer gently pushed Alyssa aside and brushed the sand off of Sophie's lips. He then proceeded to perform CPR.  
In a few short seconds, Sophie was gasping for air. Sawyer helped her to her feet as she slowly got her bearings.  
"What about Kyle?" Nathan asked.  
Alyssa scanned the beach. It was empty.  
"Kyle!" Hannah shouted. "Kyle!"  
"Kyle!" Alyssa and Sawyer joined in. Soon everyone was shouting for Kyle.  
"Sophie!" someone called from the distance. "Guys!" Alyssa squinted her eyes and could barely make out Kyle's dull pink shirt on the light purple rock dividing the beach from the outside world.  
"Kyle!!" She rushed over to him, and everyone followed. "Are you okay?" She asked, panting.  
"Yeah!" he answered excitedly.  
"M, where are we?" Sophie slurred groggily.  
"No clue, but I've found a way off the beach." Kyle tapped the rock. There was indeed an opening wide enough to walk through.  
"Where does it go?" Alyssa asked, fascinated.  
"Well I haven't gotten that far, I was waiting for you guys," Kyle replied with a not-so-subtle hint of sass in his voice.  
Alyssa shot him a glare, but then Sawyer spoke. "Let's see where it goes, then."  
Kyle nodded and smiled. "Yes. Let's." He walked between the looming rocks, and everyone else followed along the path.  
"What happened?" Hannah asked. "Like, why are we here?"  
"I'm not exactly sure." Nick scratched his head. "I mean, the last thing I remember was the bomb dropping."  
"We were in the shelter."  
"Yes. So the radiation didn't affect us... As much, at least."  
"You don't think the radiation, like, teleported us here, do you?"  
"That's highly improbable," Nathan butts in. "We don't know WHERE this is. We don't even know WHEN this is."  
"He has a point. And we've never been able to travel fast enough to go through time," Nick said. "My best bet is that we're either asleep and dreaming, or in some post-apocalyptic world... And both are unlikely."  
"Well, wherever we are, it wasn't hit with the bomb," Kyle said. Alyssa looked ahead of her. It was true. They had made their way out of the mountain, and were now facing an open stone path, lined with trees speckled around the wood.  
"Wow," Alyssa gaped as they all clustered outside the mountain pass. "I've never seen this much green in my life."  
"Wait, are we dead?" Sophie asked.  
They all looked at her.  
"What?"  
"If we're dead, I wouldn't have been able to bring you back life," Sawyer finally answered her.  
"Oh... okay."  
Kyle shook his head. "Okay, let's go." They followed the path for a while. Eventually, the stone faded out, and the path turned to dirt. Small wooden railings lined the path, with the occasional lamp post.  
After about twenty minutes of walking, Sophie stopped and sat down.  
"Sophie, what-" Jocelyn started.  
"I'm tired," she groaned.  
Alyssa looked around. "Guys, we're lost."  
"We're not lost. Sophie, get up," Kyle said a little harshly.  
"But my feet hurt!"  
"Okay, come on." Sawyer held out his hand.  
"Sawyer, I'm tIIIred!!"  
"I know, but we have to keep following the path so we can find someone and figure out what's going on."  
"We'll find someone," Kyle said, turning to Alyssa.  
She sighed. "I hope so."  
"We will."  
Alyssa looked over to Sophie, and saw that Sawyer had gotten her up.  
"Okay, good to go," he said.  
"Excellent." Kyle continued walking through the wood.


	2. Chapter 2

Alyssa plopped down at her seat in chemistry, tossing her bag on the ground next to her.  
"Hey Lyss," Emma, Alyssa's lab partner, greeted her, sitting down next to her.  
"Hey Emma," Alyssa replied dully.  
"Emma," Nathan said as he walked past their desk to his in the back. "Alyssa."  
"Hi Nathan!" Emma responded in a bubbly manner. Alyssa simply nodded at him. He was used to it, though; she was never really extremely sociable. Especially not in the morning. Especially not here.  
Alyssa pulled out her calculator, folder, and notebook as their teacher, Mr. Tyler, waked into the room. "You ready for this titration?" Emma asked.  
Alyssa sighed. "Nope."  
"Me neither."  
"Alyssa, Emma, Janet, Nathan, John, you can head to the lab and start your titration!" Mr. Tyler called from across the room.  
Alyssa and Emma stood up, and joined their third partner, Janet, at a lab bench opposite of Nathan and John.  
"You guys have any plans for the weekend?" Janet asked as they started to set up.  
"Not me," Alyssa said.  
"I have a birthday dinner tomorrow," Emma replied.  
"Oh for who?"  
"Me."  
"Happy birthday Emma!" Janet cried.  
"Happy birthday," Alyssa added.  
"Aw thanks guys," Emma responded.  
"Where are you going?" Janet asked.  
"We're not sure yet."  
"Well, have fun!"  
"Thanks, Janet."  
All of a sudden, Jocelyn walked in. She was in the class next period, the next highest level, but she almost always came in during Alyssa's class to help, or sometimes just watch. She did, however, have a tendency to break things.  
"I love your dress Jocelyn!" Emma cried, waving to Jocelyn from the back of the room.  
"Thanks bud!" she replied, heading over to their lab benches. "What're we doing today?"  
"Quantitative titrations," Emma answered.  
"Ugh, those are so tedious!" Jocelyn groaned. "I have to do a qualitative one. Ugh. Good luck you guys. Call me over if you need any help." She walked off to her own lab bench to get started.


	3. Chapter 3

After another ten-or-so minutes, the company reached a bridge through a small mountain pass.  
"Again?" Alyssa asked.  
"Guys, we're not back where we started are we?" Jocelyn asked.  
"Impossible. We haven't taken any turn over a ninety-degree rotation. It's physically impossible to have rotated a three-sixty," Nick replied.  
"English please," Sophie requested.  
"No, we're not," Nick said.  
"Shall we go through?" Kyle asked.  
Nick shrugged. "Can't hurt."  
As they made their way through the pass, a soft tune became audible. It was an upbeat xylophone melody with a soft drum beat. On the other side of the bridge was a little glade, overgrown with some sort of mutant-growth sunflower. Either that or they had shrunk.  
In the center of the glade was an island with a vertical rainbow spiraling up into the sky.  
"Amazing!" Nick gaped, running up to the gate dividing the island from the mainland. "How is that - it's too tall to be projected - that shouldn't be possible!"  
"Dreams and post-apocalyptic theories aren't sounding too impossible, now, are they?" Hannah asked.  
"No, in fact, they seem more probable by the minute!" He was still staring at the phenomenon in awe.  
"Look! There's someone!" Alyssa pointed at someone at a sort of kiosk near a patch of sunflowers. "Maybe he could give us some answers." She jogged over to him. "Hi, excuse me?"  
He turned to her. "Yes dear?"  
"Um..." Alyssa looked him over. He was dressed in traditional white chef attire. He was a short little man, with some pair of wings on his back. Alyssa wanted to believe they were fake, except he was floating a couple inches off the ground. "Um, hi. I'm Alyssa."  
"Hello Alyssa, my name is Chef Jarvie. What can I do for you?"  
"Oh, I'm - I was just wondering like, where we are, and like... when? And how do we get out? You see my friends and I, we're sort of lost."  
"Oh, sweetheart, no one's ever lost in Merry Vale."  
"Excuse me, sorry, Merry Vale?"  
"Yes, you asked where we are, didn't you?"  
"Oh... yeah."  
"Well this is where we are. Unfortunately, I do not know when we are, but I can tell you that the exits are anywhere through the mountains. Just like the way you came in."  
Alyssa was getting impatient. "Well I'd figured that much out on my own. I don't mean this little glade, I mean the whole place. We washed up on the shore, then took a mountain pass into some wood, then came in here through there." She pointed at the bridge.  
"Hmm." Jarvie scratched his goatee. "That's the south entrance... you must have washed up on Lavender Shore, and made your way up the southern wilds."  
"I don't know what any of that means."  
"Sweetheart, you're in the Sacred Grove!" he cried.   
"The what now?"  
"The Sacred Grove. And you're currently standing in the seventh realm: Merry Vale! It's nearing nighttime, so you and your friends are lucky. Not all realms are welcome to savages staying the night on the road. Not all realms are pleasant to stay in at night."  
"What does that mean?"  
"Some realms are frightening at night. Others don't really welcome people camping for the night on the side of the road. Luckily for you, neither of those apply to the Vale. You and your friends are welcome to stay anywhere you like. I'll bring you some fresh cooked meat once you're all settled in."


	4. Chapter 4

Nathan walked briskly up the three flights of stairs to the chemistry room. Not that he was going to be late, but he just wanted to start the titration early.  
He entered the room and saw that, as usual, half the class wasn't even present yet, and nor was the teacher, Mr. Tyler.  
"Emma," he said, acknowledging his friend as he passed her table. "Alyssa."  
Emma greeted him back, but Alyssa nodded. Some people might find her response rude, but he knew her well; a nod from her in the morning was as good as anyone could get.  
"Alyssa, Emma, Janet, Nathan, John, you can head to the lab and start your titration!" Mr. Tyler announced as the rest of the class, including Jocelyn, started to file into their seats at the front of the room.  
He and John immediately started to set up. They barely needed to look at the lab practical provided in front of them. Neither of them had ever done a titration before, but they were both wicked smart, and had read the practical over and over the previous night.  
"What're we doing today?" he heard Jocelyn ask as she approached the bench.   
"Quantitative titrations," Emma answered.  
"Ugh, those are so tedious!" Jocelyn groaned. "I have to do a qualitative one. Ugh. Good luck you guys. Call me over if you need any help."  
Nathan looked across the bench at the girls. They had just finished grabbing their ingredients, whereas he and John had already started adding drops of hydrochloric acid to their basic solution.  
This was going to be a breeze. He and John were the top of the class. Math and logical thinking were his strong suits, and he intended to use those skills for the rest of his life.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sacred Grove?" Nathan asked as the company all dug into their roast pig by the fire.  
Alyssa shrugged. "It's what he said."  
"It sounds like a load of BS," Nathan replied.  
"I know, but what other explanation do we have?"  
He opened his mouth to speak, and closed it again, for lack of an argument.  
"What are we going to do in the morning?" Sawyer asked.  
"I don't know," Alyssa said. "All I know is I want to get out of here. I can't take much more of this music." It was getting really annoying.  
"We can't just walk around forever," Jocelyn pointed out.  
"I know, but we can't stay here forever either."

*****

Alyssa woke to the same xylophone tune ringing in her ears. How could people not go crazy after spending a day in this... realm, or whatever it was?  
Nick, Nathan, and Jocelyn were already awake, and munching on a little bit of the leftover meat. "It's surprisingly still good," Jocelyn remarked.  
"It shouldn't be, though. We left it out in the open overnight, it should've gone bad by now," Nick said.  
"Oh, would you quit ruining things with your smartness?" Alyssa joked as she joined them, grabbing a piece for herself.  
"I was just saying," he responded.   
"Mm," the now-awake Kyle said, "so when are we leaving? And, uh, when?"  
"As soon as everyone's awake," Alyssa replied, "we'll leave. I have no clue where-to," she finished with a whisper.  
"We came in through the south end," Nick said, "so I advise leaving through any end besides that one."  
"Good reasoning," Kyle remarked.  
"Looks like everyone's awake," Nick pointed out, turning around.  
"A'ight, c'mon," Kyle said, approaching Hannah, Sophie, and Sawyer. "Let's go."  
"Kyle!" Alyssa reprimanded. "Let them wake up first!"  
He looked at her. "I wanna get out of here."  
"I do too, but we have to work together. We can't be demanding of others if we want to leave."  
Kyle shut his mouth and glared at her for a few seconds, and Alyssa could tell he was thinking hard. "Okay," he said, stalking off to the edge of their campsite and sitting down on a log.

*****

"So where are we going?" Sawyer asked.  
"Not sure," Alyssa replied. "Anywhere where we didn't come in."  
"It looks like there's a bridge over there," Hannah pointed, "past the island."  
"We already went on a bridge," Sophie pointed out.  
"Yes, but not THAT bridge," Nick said impatiently.  
Sophie rubbed her head. "Uh..."  
"Just, just go along with it," Jocelyn whispered to her.  
Sophie nodded. "Oh okay."   
"Is everyone set? I want to leave!" Kyle complained.  
Alyssa stared at him for a few seconds, then spoke. "Yes, I think we're all ready."


	6. Chapter 6

Jocelyn grabbed her materials: burette, hydrochloric acid, 2M sodium hydroxide, and a large beaker. She filled the beaker with sodium hydroxide and rinsed the burette with water before pouring 100mL of the hydrochloric acid into it. Then, she started her long, slow titration.  
Even though she wasn't in this first-period chem class, she still loved to come in and help out as best as she could. Not to mention she had missed her own class yesterday and needed to make up the lab. She made sure to add phenolphaline solution to the base in the beaker, and watched as it changed color.  
That was all she was observing today - the color. Alyssa and Nathan and the other kids were measuring the exact volume at which equilibrium was reached between the acid and the base, but she was just seeing about how many milliliters of acid were added before the solution changed color. It was an easier experiment to conduct, but still took just as long.  
After her titration was done, Jocelyn got up to see how the other kids were doing. "You all good?" she asked, approaching their lab benches.  
"Yeah," Janet replied. "Broken anything yet today?"  
"Not yet," Jocelyn laughed. "How close are you guys?"  
"Pretty close," Alyssa said. "The past few drops have been changing the slightest bit of pink."  
"Nice! Well, let me know when you're done; I can help you process the data."  
"Sounds good," Emma responded.  
Jocelyn started to turn away and head back to her own bench, when her arm hit something, which fell to the floor. Glass shattered as the small beaker broke on impact.  
"There it is," she said, reaching for the paper towels.  
"Only you, Jos," Alyssa said, slow-clapping for her friend.  
"Only me," Jocelyn replied. She scooped up the broken pieces, now an expert at cleaning up glass shards, and put the paper towel in the 'glass disposal box'. Out of all the glass in that box, Jocelyn bet that at least 90% of it was put in there by her.


	7. Chapter 7

Straight out of Merry Vale, through the mountain pass, they found themselves in a wood that looked identical to the one they had come to from the beach.  
"So are these the North Wilds?" Jocelyn asks.  
"I'm going to bet, yes," Nick answered.  
"Which way?" Kyle asks, having reached a fork in the road a few paces ahead of the group.  
"Um," Alyssa said, catching up to him. She seriously considered her options. There wasn't much reason to be in favor of or against either direction. But a decision still had to be made. "Um, let's go left."

***** 

"So now we're going West," Nick was whispering to himself as the company trudged through the wood. "We came up from the south, and then turned west..."  
"Do you hear that?" Nathan said suddenly, stopping.  
"Hear what?" Alyssa asked, also stopping.  
"Water."  
"What's it saying?" Sophie asked.  
"Sophie, the water isn't saying anything," Nathan explained coolly. "There is a river or a stream nearby and it is making noise as it flows south, the sound water makes when it flows down rocks."  
"Like a waterfall?"  
"Yes, but quieter."  
"So what does it mean?"  
"Well, normally rivers are used to tell cardinal direction, because they all flow south, that is, with the exception of the Nile. However, because we already know what direction we're going, it can be a checkpoint if we ever need to find our way back."  
"Um... Okay."  
"There it is!" Alyssa pointed into the distance, where the trees became more sparse and a trickle of blue could be seen just above the grass-line.  
As they neared closer, they saw that it was not a trickle of water, but a large waterfall pouring into an even larger river. There was a wooden bridge in front of them.  
"Uh uh, no way," Sophie said. "I'm not crossing that thing."  
"Why not?" Kyle asked in a semi-snippy tone.  
"Because, haven't you seen those movies where they cross these things!? Someone always falls and dies."  
Nick walked up to the bridge and felt the railing and floor material. "This wood is incredibly thick and sturdy. And the railing is made from a really strong rope. With all of us watching each other, the probability of you falling off this bridge is extremely low."  
"Not to mention all of those movies are fictional, and defy the laws of science," Nathan added.  
Sophie shut her mouth; she knew she was defeated, but she still didn't want to cross.  
"Come on," Sawyer said, approaching her and holding out his hand. "I'm not gonna let you fall."  
She hesitated for a moment, but eventually took his hand. Kyle began to lead everyone across the river.  
"It's just a bridge!" he whispered to Alyssa.  
Alyssa shook her head. "All I want is to get home, and if a little bit of nerding and hand-holding is what it takes to get closer to finding my way, I'll take it."  
He shrugged. "She's fifteen years old, and she doesn't know how to cross a bridge."  
"We're all different."  
He shook his head. "Whatever. As long as we can keep moving."

*****

In about ten minutes, another catchy tune started to play in the distance. This one was a tropical marimba song. It reminded Alyssa so much of the beach that she could practically smell the salt water-  
"Is that salt water?" Hannah asked.  
"You smell it too?" Kyle replied.  
"Yeah... I thought we'd left the beach."  
"No, that was lavender," Nathan recalled.  
"Oh."  
"So what's this place?" Alyssa wondered aloud.  
"Looks like we're about to find out," Kyle said as they approached an arch and the dirt turned to sand.


	8. Chapter 8

Sophie sat in her first-period English classroom. Mr. Brooks was so boring, droning on and on about the Odyssey. This was such BS. She was a sophomore and was placed in a level two class with freshmen. It was like, so easy, she never even paid attention. And she was like, passing with a 52. So, she should move up a level right? Right?  
"Now, who can tell us about the story of Daedalus and Icarus? Sophie?" Mr. Brooks said.  
Sophie looked up. "Huh?"  
"Daedalus and Icarus."  
"What about them?"  
"Tell me about them."  
"Oh well they were, uh, trapped in a tower. On a deserted island. Called Atlantis. And Daedalus escaped and went to the bottom of the tower and told Icarus to let down her hair. And then he climbed up to Icarus so he could rescue her."  
Her classmates sniggered. Some found the story amusing, some found Sophie's stupidity funny. Mr. Brooks sighed. "Sophie, I think you're thinking of Rapunzel."  
"No, that's the one where she lived with all those mice and got poisoned and Prince Charming brought her to life."  
He put his head in his hands. "That's still Disney. We're talking about the Odyssey. Didn't you read it?"  
Sophie furrowed her brow. "What?"  
Mr. Brooks shook his head. "Never mind. Who can tell me about Daedalus and Icarus? Mark?"  
Sophie looked back to her phone. She didn't care about mythology, or Rapunzel, or Snow White. All she wanted was to reach 2000 followers on Twitter. She was so close; 1995! Suddenly, the little box softly vibrated in her hand. She looked at the notification. Her boyfriend, Colin, had just texted her. She opened the messages app.  
'Wanna hang later?' The three little dots were underneath that text. Soon, another blurb popped up on her screen. 'My parents aren't gonna be home'  
Sophie grinned to herself. 'course' she responded. She loved hanging out with Colin, especially when it was just the two of them alone.


	9. Chapter 9

There were three paths in front of them. One to the left, which lead to a rocky, forest-y cliff, the one to the right, leading down a sandy path to the beach, and the wooden path right in front of them which lead to a gazebo.  
"What's that?" Sophie asked, running into the gazebo and craning over the edge. "What the - whoa." She took a couple steps back. "There's no floor."  
"What?" Kyle asked skeptically, strutting over to meet Sophie. He peered over the edge. "Sophie, that's a waterfall." He rolled his eyes.  
Alyssa joined them, and the rest followed, as Sophie began to protest. "Well there ISN'T a floor. I was right!"  
"No, there's a pool. Waterfalls don't empty onto wood or tile," Kyle shot back.  
"What's that over there?" Alyssa pointed, craning to see what was to their right.  
"It looks like a marketplace," Sawyer pointed out, rising up onto his toes to get a better view. "On the ramp that leads to the beach."  
"What about over there?" Hannah nodded to their left.  
"I can't tell," Nathan said, trying to peer through the trees. "I think that's a building... It almost looks like a house-"  
"I'm hungry!" Sophie complained.  
"Sophie - "  
"Kyle," Alyssa hushed him quietly. She turned to Sophie. "We'll find something to eat."  
"Thank god!" Sophie sighed. "I want a burger."  
"Well we don't know if they have burgers here."  
"Who doesn't sell burgers!?"  
"Sophie," Sawyer whispered, laying his hand on her shoulder. "We don't know where we are. They might not sell burgers, but we'll get you something. Come on, let's go get you something." He started to usher her away from the gazebo and down to the market.  
Alyssa started to follow him down the rock path. "Sawyer!" she called. He turned around. "What are you doing?" she whispered.  
"Look, I don't care if we find her food or not. It's a market. There's bound to be people there who can tell us a little bit more than that guy in Sunflower-land."  
He was right. "Okay." Alyssa turned around to make sure the rest of her friends were following them. "Let's go."  
They walked down the path and came to small, two-story building in a clearing surrounded by a couple of palm trees. Small lights were strung up from tree to tree. There were stairs leading up to the front door and porch. A sign hung above the door, with a single seashell printed on it.  
"Hello, darlings!" another fairy-like creature bounded - er, flew - up to them. "Welcome to the Seaspray Inn! How many rooms can I get you? Two? Four?" She pulled out some papers and started ruffling through them. "I think most of our rooms are filled up, but we can arrange something - "  
"I'm sorry, we - " Kyle interrupted her. " - we're not exactly looking for a place to stay - "  
"Oh," she said, looking down.  
"Yet," Nick added.  
She gave a slight smile.  
"Um, we we're wondering if um, where are we?" Sawyer asked.  
"The... Seaspray Inn," she repeated herself.  
"Yeah I got that, but, like, where is here? The uh... realm?"  
"Seaside?"  
"Is it?"  
"Yes."  
"Excellent, thank you. Um, could you tell us a little more, possibly?"  
"Um, I'm not exactly sure what you mean."  
"Just, anything you find useful about the place."   
"Well, we're on the West Coast of the Sacred Grove, hottest beach parties in the area. Every night, on the corner of the ocean and the lagoon, there is nightly partying, cookouts, and beach games. It's just down there past the Boardwalk. We've got our Inn right here for temporary visitors, but if you're interested in a permanent residency, we've got our Oceanfront Homes on the other side of the lagoon. Other points of interest include the Tide Pools, open all day every day, and the Abandoned Dojo, open for tours every day from sun-up to sun-down. The ocean, beach, and Boardwalk are also open all day every day, although most people leave the beach and the ocean around midnight, and most pack up their shops on the Boardwalk around sun-down. Um, yeah."  
"Great! Thank you!"  
"So, are you folks interested in a stay at the Inn?"  
"Um, no, I think we're just stopping in for a few minutes, just visiting the Boardwalk. Um, what's the best place to get a good meal around here?"   
"That would be the Ocean Treasures Cafe. Just continue past me down to the Boardwalk and take a right at the end. It looks like a giant octopus."  
"Thank you miss," Sawyer said, leading Sophie away as she muttered about how she hated octopus.

*****

It was true; the building did look like a giant octopus.   
"Hello, fellas, Diggy here! Interested in dining on some of my fine ocean treasure?"  
"What exactly is your ocean treasure?"  
"Any kind of fish you like."  
"Ew, I hATE fish!" Sophie complained.  
"Um," Diggy was thinking hard. "We can give you some bread - "  
"But carbs!"  
"Sophie, it's either fish or bread," Sawyer said to her softly.  
"Mmm," she pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "Bread."  
"Great!" Diggy cried. A timer went off in the restaurant. "Perfect timing too, a fresh loaf just came out."  
Sawyer sat Sophie down at a table, and Alyssa and the others joined them. Diggy brought out a steaming-hot loaf of bread and set it in front of Sophie.  
"Oh, it smells so good!" she moaned, ripping off the end and digging into it. "Ugh! This is so good!" She chewed up another piece. "Mm, Sawyer, try some of this." She handed him a piece. "Alyssa." And her too.  
The bread was truly phenomenal. "I could live off of this for days!" Jocelyn cried.  
"Technically - " Nick started.  
Jocelyn held out her hand. "Mm, no."  
Nick sighed, and continued to consume his portion.  
Sawyer turned to Alyssa. "So what are we gonna do?"  
She turned to the sun, lamely trying to calculate its angle. "I have no clue. It looks like it's a little after noon. I think we should stop by the market and pick up as much as we think we need. Especially food - "  
"But we don't have any money."  
"Shit." Alyssa looked around. "What'll we do then?"  
"We could always steal it," Kyle whispered, sliding in next to Alyssa. No one responded. "Think about it," he continued. "Look at this place. Do you think they have surveillance cameras? They live on a freaking beach. Those lights are lit by like lightning bugs or something. If we're stealthy enough, no one will ever know."  
Alyssa and Sawyer exchange a glance. Finally, Alyssa looked back to Kyle. "Okay, say we did. Who would do it?"  
"I will!" Kyle volunteered brightly. "I was gonna do it anyway, might as well do it for everyone."  
Alyssa sighed. "Okay. What's the plan?"


	10. Chapter 10

Sawyer tapped his pencil on his desk. E = ... E... = ... qv3? There was nothing worse than a physics test first period on a Friday. He was an intelligent person, but was also very social, and his academic and social lives tended to get in the way of each other at the worst times. Right now his mind was consumed with the party at Laina's tomorrow. Not the best time brain, not the best time! E = mc2, that's it!   
He looked up at the clock. 7:40. They'd only been testing for ten minutes!? This class was going to go by so slowly.  
Next period. Next period he had English. He did the reading from 'The Great Gatsby' last night so he was all set and Ms. Johnson never gave pop quizzes. Okay. He scribbled the answer (270) absentmindedly on paper. Next question: question 6. Out of 35. Oh boy. This class was going to go by painfully slow!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry I've been M.I.A. recently; I've been on vacation with no access to wifi, but here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy, sorry it's so late.

Alyssa locked hands with Sawyer as they started down the Boardwalk, marveling at all the shops around them. They passed Kyle on their way past a market. He gave them a distinct nod as they turned into the pet supplies store right next door, falsely admiring the large selection of collars. Then, they turned and left the store, and reached the end of the Boardwalk, looking around for no one in particular. A man in a large jacket passed them, and a few seconds later, Alyssa locked eyes with Jocelyn, who was up by the entrance to the realm. She waved, and nodded to Sawyer. They followed a couple paces behind the man in the jacket, who passed the group of Alyssa's friends. Alyssa and Sawyer, however, stopped.  
"We set?" Jocelyn asked.  
"I think so," Alyssa said, fighting back a smile. "Let's go. I want to see what other realms there are." With that, the company turned and left Seaside.  
The man with the jacket had stopped and turned around a few meters up the path.  
"Wha'chu got Kyle?" Alyssa asked.  
Kyle opened up his jacket, revealing a large assortment of mostly fruit. "Apples, grapes, blueberries, starfruit, bread, and some raw meat. I also picked up seven coins from the counter. Not sure what they're worth, but they're worth something." He held a small number of gold coins in his hand.  
"You have outdone yourself Kyle!" Alyssa gasped. "That could last us nearly a week, if correctly rationed."  
"Yeah, but what do we do when we run out?" Nick asked. "We could be lost well over a week."  
"We're not lost," Hannah tried to reason.  
"Hannah, we've been lost ever since we washed up on that shore," Nick shot back. "I have no idea what this 'Sacred Grove' place is, but it's not natural, and it's not home. In case you haven't noticed, we don't belong here. We don't have a house, or money, or food, or clothes. We have to steal to survive for maybe a week. We can't live like this forever. I can't live like this forever. I want to go back home. And I want to go back now."  
"We can't go home!" Nathan cried.  
Nick shot him a quick glare. "What do you mean?"  
"In case you forgot, we got bombed! It's a miracle if a flower is alive after being hit, let alone our entire city. Even if we somehow go back, our families will all be dead, our world destroyed. The war may still be going on, it may not be, but nothing we know will be alive. There is nothing for us there."  
"There's nothing for us here either."  
"Then let's find something! At least this world still exists!"  
Nobody said anything after that.   
"Um," Alyssa cautiously whispered. "Maybe, maybe we should go. The market owners will discover that they've been robbed. Let's just find the next nearest city."  
"Alyssa's right," Sawyer said. "They may not have security but they're not stupid. We need to keep moving."  
"Which way?" Jocelyn asked quietly.  
"We'll head north," Kyle announced.  
"Who put you in charge?" Sophie shot.  
"What's that supposed to mean!?" Kyle spat back.  
Sophie began to raise her voice even more, and Kyle fought to overpower her. She eventually lashed out at him, and he reached for her too.  
"Whoa!" Sawyer cried, grabbing Sophie's waist, and pulling her back.  
"Kyle!" Nick exclaimed, seizing Kyle by the arms.  
"Guys, we can't fight!" Alyssa screamed. Everyone shut up and looked at her. "Not among ourselves. We don't know who or what this place still holds. And as far as I'm concerned, ALL of us want to get home. If we fight with each other, that goal will never be achieved." Nobody spoke. "Kyle thinks we should go north. So we'll go north until we find someone or something."  
"And what if we don't?" Nick prompted.  
"It's the best we've got," Alyssa replied. She took Nick's silence as his agreement. "We'll walk till either we find shelter or until sundown. We have to move somewhere." This time, no one obliged.


	12. Chapter 12

Nick opened his textbook. Textbook - ha! More like the Rosetta Stone's father. He knew when he signed up for courses, he'd be able to handle AP European History mentally. He however was not prepared for the weight that came with it - literally! This textbook alone made up more than half the weight of his backpack. He flipped to the assigned page - page 394 - which was less than halfway through the book. Thank god this wasn't a college textbook, he thought. It would be way too expensive. College. Ugh, college! Nick was a senior this year, and still didn't know what he wanted to go into. He really wanted to go into engineering, but he also wanted to play tennis professionally. He also wanted to continue his career as a guitarist. Everything was happening so quickly, and all he wanted to do was enjoy his last year of high school. School. The assignment! Right! It was a passage about two French men named Pierre Bourgot and Michel Verdun who were executed in 1521. Nick breathed out heavily. Here we go.


	13. Chapter 13

"What on earth is this?" Nick cried, staring at a valley in the snow-capped mountains. In the valley were a few buildings, a farm, tent, and food vendors lining the main road. Even from the top of the slope, party music filled the once-silent air and the stale smell of brew filled the atmosphere.  
"Wug...a...chug?" Alyssa said, reading the wooden sign by the archway. "Wugachug."   
"What the hell is a Wugachug?" Kyle asked.   
"It sounds like a party!" Sophie cried, running down the path.  
"Sophie!" Kyle called after her, running after her.  
Sophie was already breezing down the main street. Party banners and lights lined the top, strung from pole to pole. "Hmm, mincemeat, watermelon, blueberries, now THIS is what I'm talking about!"  
Kyle finally caught up to her. "Sophie, slow down. We don't even know what this place is."  
"Kyle, it's obviously a party!" She ran towards the large party tent at the end of the pathway, to be greeted by two large troll-like bouncers, each holding a huge mug of some sort of brew.  
"Invitation?" One of them asked, blocking her path.  
"Um, no, but," Sophie took in the stale aroma of their beverage, and changed her mind about wanting to party, "where did you get that?" She pointed at their mugs.  
"From the Sasparilla Brewery, right over yonder," the other guard pointed to Sophie's left. "Best ale in the grove. Just head back down the Throughfare and take a sharp left. It's just past the Chuagaroot Farms."  
Sophie laughed, suddenly giddy. "Thank you!!"  
"Say, what exactly are you?" the first bouncer asked.  
"Human?" Sophie answered uncertainly.  
"Be careful. Human stomachs are not as tough as Chugawugs'. The Sasparilla tends to be a little on the sharp side."  
"It's okay, I won't have a lot." Sophie ran off back the way she came, passing her friends on the way.

*****

"Where's she going?" Alyssa demanded once Kyle caught up to them. She eyed Sophie, who disappeared into a large building past a farm.  
"To get some ale," Kyle panted.  
"Ale?" Nick repeated.  
"Ale," Kyle confirmed. "Sasparilla. They say it's acidic to humans."  
"Well we have to stop her!" Alyssa cried.  
"She said she wouldn't get a lot."  
"Kyle, this is Sophie! She's not gonna stop unless we stop her!"  
"Dammit!" Kyle cried.  
"I'm on it," Sawyer stepped forward and jogged up to the brewery.  
"Kyle, give me a few coins," Alyssa demanded, turning back to the tall sandy haired boy.  
"Why?" he shot back.  
"Because we're not going to be able to live off of fruit forever. I just want to buy some more bread and meat. In case you haven't noticed, we haven't eaten since last night," she replied a little gentler.  
"Ugh, fine." He dug into his pocket and pulled out three coins. "Don't use it all."  
"I'll try," Alyssa said with a hint of sarcasm, approaching one of the vendors.  
"Sawyer's got Sophie," Jocelyn remarked, nodding to the brewery. Sawyer had dragged Sophie out, and was trying to stop her from downing the large mug of ale in her hand.  
"A slab of meat and two slices of bread," Alyssa said, rejoining the group. She looked up to see Sawyer dragging Sophie down the hill. Sophie was struggling, trying to sip the Sasparilla.  
"That's it!?" Kyle cried. "Three coins and you get a meal for two! This is insane!"  
"It was the best I could get!" Alyssa tried to explain.  
"I'll have to do it myself," Kyle mumbled, approaching the Throughfare as Sophie and Sawyer rejoined the group. Kyle's eyes scanned the ground, and in no time, he'd found four gold coins. He bent over and picked them up.  
"Those aren't yours," someone boomed from right over Kyle. He looked up to see a giant Chugawug looming over him. Kyle stood up slowly, arms raised, the coins already tucked into his pocket.  
"Give them back!" the Chugawug cried.  
"I don't know what you're talking about - " the buff creature swung at Kyle, and the young boy bolted.  
"Kyle?" Alyssa asked as he sprinted past them and up the hill.  
"Just run!" Alyssa looked back to see the angry Chugawug, and needed no more reason. She and the rest of the group bolted.


	14. Chapter 14

"Bonjour mes élèves. Comment allez-vous?"  
"Je suis bon, Mme Bridges," Hannah's first-period French class responded all at once.   
"Bien bien. Ainsi la classe, aujourd'hui, nous allons apprendre sur le passé, or, past tense." The young lady started to pass out papers. Hannah, at the front of the class, took the top paper from the small stack and passed it back to Rebecca behind her. She absentmindedly scribbled her name on the paper, and then proceeded to draw an elegant paisley pattern in the corner, extending all the way to the directions of the assignment.  
"Now, the past tense is very similar to the present tense. All you have to do is take the..."   
Hannah tuned Ms. Bridges out and glanced up at the clock. 7:45. School had only been in session for fifteen minutes. Only forty more to go. She groaned to herself. First-period French was the worst circumstance for her, and she had been landed with it. Hannah picked up her pencil and twirled it in her hand, absently writing down the answers Ms. Bridges was spewing left and right.


	15. Chapter 15

  
"Kyle, what did you do!?" Hannah panted as they crossed another path through the mountains.  
"I just picked up  some coins I found on the ground! And then he freaked!" Kyle said defensively as they slowed to a walk. "I think we lost him."   
"Why is it so cold?" Sophie complained.  
Alyssa looked up at the mountain peaks. They were dappled in snow.  
"Exactly how far north are we?" Nathan asked.  
"We must be pretty north," Nick remarked. "Seaside village was anything but cold."  
"Well where's  the nearest shelter?" Kyle prompted, reaching into his coat pocket and munching on a starfruit.  
"It's nearly nightfall," Nick ignored Kyle. "It'll only get colder from here."  
"What's that?" Jocelyn pointed ahead at what looked like a crossroad.  
"Maybe our way  out," Nick said, running towards it. "It's an intersection!" He called. "We should go this way," he pointed left.   
    
********  
  
The soft tinkle of bells sounded in the distance as the group passed a soccer field on their left. Soon they came to another archway and  entered a small village covered entirely with snow. They passed a frozen lake, skating-shoes store, and came to the village. In the center there was a round-about around a large Christmas tree, and on the other side, a large building with a clock at the top. The building bore a sign reading 'Town Hall'.  
"In here?" Sawyer asked.  
"I think it's our best bet," Alyssa replied, shoving open the large door.  The group shuffled in. The building wasn't much warmer than the air  outside; it was made of wood and clearly lacked central air.     
"Hello,"  a small pixie said, flitting up to them. He was clad in a navy blue suit. "Welcome to Snowhill! I  am Mayor Twinkle. Can I help you with anything?"  
"Um,"  Alyssa  said, "I think we're just stopping in.  We need a place to stay for the night."  
"Of course, of course!" He glided over to his desk and started rummaging through papers. "I'm sure we can find some... accommodations," he muttered to himself. "Ah!" He plucked out a paper. "I believe Stranta has a cabin that is open  for rent. She is right outside. If you take a right out  of this building and go around back. Feel free to  take a look around town. Everyone here is quite the welcoming spirit. In case you have any question, both Stantra and myself and quite reliable sources."  
"Thank you Mayor Twinkle," Alyssa cringed at how child-like she felt saying that name. She lead the group out of the Hall and around the back of the building, where a series of cottages lined the street. A  young pixie girl was sitting outside at a table, reading.  "Excuse me, are you Stantra?"  
The girl looked up. "Yes, how may I  help you?"  
"Um,  we're looking to be put up for the night," Alyssa said.  
"Eight of ya?"  
"Yes."  
"I mean, I  have a cabin for rent. It may be kind of small; there's only four beds. If some of you don't mind sleeping on the floor - "  
"The floor?" Sophie complained.  
"No way - " Kyle started.  
"That's fine," Sawyer said to Stantra.  
She fluttered a smile. "It's that one right next to me," she pointed to her left. "There's blankets and a single candle-lit lantern in there for heat. I only charge two  gold coins a night so..." she trailed off.  
"Right," Sawyer said, looking to Kyle. "Kyle?"  
The blonde groaned. Sawyer looked at him sternly. "Ugh fine." He dug into his pockets and fished out two gold coins, then dumped them into Stantra's hand.  
"Have a good night," she said softly.  
"You too," Sawyer said, heading the front of the group to their cabin.  
It was a small circular building that looked like it was made of a giant, giant acorn. There was no way that would fit eight people. Kyle especially voiced his opinion on the matter.  
But when they opened the front door, they found the single room cabin to be much more spacious than it could possibly be.  
"It's like magic!" Sophie cried.  
"No there has to be an explanation," Nick countered her. "Some sort of optical illusion, or - "  
Sophie glared at him. "Magic."  
Nick raised his arms defensively. "Okay. Magic."   
Sophie and Kyle flopped onto a bed and didn't say another word. It was obvious they weren't going to move so Alyssa and Sawyer grabbed some blankets and pillows and set up on the floor.  
"Nathan, you take a bed," Nick said, taking blankets and a pillow for himself. Hannah did the same, and Jocelyn climbed into the last bed.  
Even on the floor, Alyssa found it rather easy to fall asleep in this cabin. And she didn't wake up  until the morning.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been SUPER M.I.A. guys, I'm sorry! My hard drive shut down and I only just got my computer back. Chapters will be more regular now :)

Kyle strutted down the fourth floor hall on his way to study hall. He was a senior this year. He was passing all his classes with a B-, and had just been accepted into the college of his dreams. Nobody could break his mood, even Mr. Brown when he walked into study hall fifteen minutes late. He sipped his Starbucks coffee - a daily must-have, even if he was teased for it sometimes, though it never fazed him - and checked his phone. It was blowing up. Katherine, Molly, Tanner, Amanda, even people who weren't his friends wanted to talk to him. Kyle was basically the Queen Bee, and he wasn't about to let anyone take that title from him.   
As he turned the corner, a few doors down from his study hall, the loudspeaker came on.


End file.
